Pirates podcasts

Traveling by Jeep, boat and foot, Tribune-Review investigative reporter Carl Prine and photojournalist Justin Merriman covered nearly 2,000 miles over two months along the border with Mexico to report on coyotes — the human traffickers who bring illegal immigrants into the United States. Most are Americans working for money and/or drugs. This series reports how their operations have a major impact on life for residents and the environment along the border — and beyond.

When Liriano landed awkwardly after throwing a pitch to Baltimore's Adam Jones in the sixth inning, Martin went out to the mound.

“I didn't know what, but I could tell something was wrong,” Martin said.

The athletic trainer went onto the field, too. That's when Liriano said his groin had felt tight the whole game and maybe he ought to leave.

“I didn't want to keep pitching like that, maybe push it too much and have it get worse,” Liriano said.

Liriano limped back to the clubhouse, having tossed 5 2⁄3 scoreless innings. He allowed four hits, walked one and struck out four. Liriano still expects to be ready for Opening Day, when he is scheduled to start against the Cubs.

“I think it's going to be OK,” Liriano said. “We'll see how I feel tomorrow.”

Scary injury

No pitcher goes out expecting to be struck by a line drive.

“If you've got those thoughts in your mind, you're probably not going to have a successful day out there,” Pirates reliever Justin Wilson said. “There's enough that goes on in the game that you've got to be aware of. Batters get hit at the plate, pitchers get hit on the mound.”

On Wednesday night, Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman was hit in the face by a liner off the bat of Kansas City's Salvador Perez. Chapman had a steel plate surgically implanted due to a fracture above his left eye and is expected to be out at least two months.

“Nothing up high, though. I usually seem to get out of the way,” Wilson said. “If you've been on the mound long enough, you've been hit a few times.”

This winter, MLB approved a padded cap for use during games. However, many pitchers say the cap is too bulky.

“I'd have to actually put it on and try to throw with it before I give an honest opinion of what I think of it,” Wilson said.

The Pirates have inquired with manufacturer IsoBlox about the caps and are willing to test them when they become available. The caps are intended to be a safeguard against concussions but probably wouldn't have done much to protect Chapman, who was hit in the forehead.

Wandy slows it down

When he throws on the side between starts, Wandy Rodriguez will sometimes bring his left arm back very slowly and deliberately before beginning his delivery. He uses a less exaggerated motion in games.

It's a reminder Rodriguez uses to break a bad habit.

“When I bring my arm back fast, I lose a lot of my control,” Rodriguez said. “When I go slowly, I have better location and I think I throw with a little bit more velocity. I throw more aggressively to home plate and attack the zone. I'm able to keep my head still and keep my eyes on where I want to put the ball. I have better concentration.”

Divided loyalties

Reliever Cody Eppley grew up in Harrisburg, a kind of crossroads sports town whose residents have divided loyalties. Eppley always cheered for the Steelers and Penguins, but his favorite baseball team didn't wear black and gold.

“I was a (Philadelphia) Phillies fan,” Eppley said. “With every other sport, I'm a Pittsburgh fan. The Phillies were always on TV. They didn't really show the Pirates' games.”

TribLive commenting policy

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.

We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments  either by the same reader or different readers.

We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING. Don't include URLs to Web sites.

We do not edit comments. They are either approved or deleted. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. In this case, we may fix spelling and punctuation.

We welcome strong opinions and criticism of our work, but we don't want comments to become bogged down with discussions of our policies and we will moderate accordingly.

We appreciate it when readers and people quoted in articles or blog posts point out errors of fact or emphasis and will investigate all assertions. But these suggestions should be sent via e-mail. To avoid distracting other readers, we won't publish comments that suggest a correction. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or in an article.

Total Promotional Solutions

A division of Trib Total Media is your one-stop-shop for all of your branded merchandise needs.

We specialize in providing quality affordable promotional products for every type of business including non-profits, schools, universities, sports teams and more. With 1000’s of products to choose from, our knowledgeable staff can help you find the perfect apparel item or product to suit your needs and budget.

Digital Sales

We offer a wide variety of traditional and new digital advertising options customized to fit your needs!

Whether you're just starting out, or you've been a keystone in the community for years, our knowledgeable staff can provide you with a customized package including online banners/advertisements, Social Media Marketing (Facebook / Twitter), Website development, Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing solutions and much more!

Contact your local sales rep today for details, personalized proposal and a meeting to discuss how we can meet your needs.